![Glen Coe: a good place to ponder whether one is old or “just from Yorkshire” Photo credits: [top] Highlander Outdoor;](https://www.thegreatoutdoorsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-08-at-10.35.33.png?w=900)
Mountain Bothies Association trustee Juls Stodel helps one technophobe from Yorskhire with his uphill struggles in TGO’s new advice column, supported by Highlander Outdoor. Every month, one reader who writes to Juls with an Uphill Struggle will win an £100 voucher to spend with Highlander.
Dear Juls,
I think I may have officially become an ‘oldster’. Now in my mid-fifties, I find myself rebelling against anything labelled ‘technical’ when it comes to outdoor kit. I am nonplussed by the general jolliness of adventurous youngsters with their Bluetooth-enabled trekking poles who insist on live-streaming the process of boiling some water on a poncy titanium stove. Is this an age thing, or perhaps just a complication of my Yorkshire DNA?Oldster Steve, May 2025
Dear Oldster Steve,
I’m sure your elders had something to say about the introduction of hollowfill bags, Gore-Tex clothing, sports bras and hiking poles made from aluminium rather than whittling a tree. Somewhere back in time, a Neanderthal probably grunted in judgment at their child for inventing fire.
My walking companion Richard is the proudest Yorkshireman I know; also in his fifties, he’s always muttering about modernity. He carries sacks of spuds for food, and buys whatever kit is cheapest on Facebook Marketplace (only to receive tents covered in mould). I trust him with my life. On our hikes, he finds amusement in me too. Pointing to a view or crawling into a cave he’ll announce, “Content, Juls! This is content!” referencing my regular uploads on Instagram.
However, you and Richard sit on one side of a curious spectrum. I receive most admonishment over my perfectly reasonable pack from hillwalkers over 60; now with all the financial trappings of retirement, they have splurged on the most fantastic futuristic gear because they can. They started out with external-frame packs and foam mats. Yet now they have found greater freedom in innovation and, rather than mocking it, they embrace it.
Whatever our age, we can all agree adornments are not the soul of the experience; but sometimes that gets lost. Commercialism insists adventure is greater the more you spend. It’s no surprise then that many people get discouraged by the idea that they need to spend hundreds just to start. Yet all you need is a map and curiosity. It’s only as we continue that we understand what kind of outdoorsperson we are, and what we actually need.
You can often find Richard at The Lookout Bothy where he camps outside, welcoming visitors with biscuits and tea. He’ll carry 30 kilos to ensure someone else’s experience is a good one.
He dragged an overladen sled for three days through the wintery Pennines for me. He has no time for ultralight packs or tents with working poles when his intention is in making memories – content? – for others. To this day he is the most frequent commenter on my Instagram, revelling in the little bit of fame he has gained.
So, are you old or are you just from Yorkshire? Well, Steve, I’m here to tell you that 50-something isn’t old these days and you can’t blame everything on being from Yorkshire. Instead, perhaps focus on the type of adventurer you are, the journey you took to realise it, and revel in the fact that everyone you meet out there loves the same thing in joyfully different ways.
Now, take your Highlander voucher and buy yourself a ‘poncy’ stove. Who knows? You might just like it.
Every month, one reader who writes to Juls with an Uphill Struggle will win an £100 voucher to spend with Highlander Outdoor.
